Yuri Gripas/Zuma
Everyone already knows about this, but since I was out of pocket yesterday I’m going to mention it just for the sake of keeping a complete impeachment record. The Trumpsters claim that Ukraine never had any idea why their military aid package was being held up, but Ken Vogel reports that, as usual, they’re lying:
Word of the aid freeze had gotten to high-level Ukrainian officials by the first week in August, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times. The problem was not bureaucratic, the Ukrainians were told. To address it, they were advised, they should reach out to Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, according to the interviews and records.
….As Mr. Taylor’s testimony suggests, the Ukrainians did not confront the Trump administration about the freeze until they were told in September that it was linked to the demand for the investigations. The Ukrainians appear to have initially been hopeful that the problem could be resolved quietly and were reluctant to risk a public clash at a delicate time in relations between the two nations.
And what’s the Republican response to this? About what you’d expect:
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) advertised a news conference Thursday to announce a resolution condemning the House impeachment inquiry, as partisan rancor continued to escalate over the Ukraine scandal.
“Partisan rancor.” Uh huh.
